


Keeping and Care of a Hylian

by ghost_bitch



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Catlike elves are my shit, Cultural Differences, Drowning, Food Poisoning, Hypothermia, Injury, M/M, No Smut, Pining, Poison, Sickfic, Size Difference, Sleeptalking, Sleepwalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 00:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16902423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_bitch/pseuds/ghost_bitch
Summary: Dispite being a diplomatic leader, Sidon knows shamefully little about Hylians and their culture. Luckily for him, with Link hanging around his domain much more than before, he has a chance to learn.





	1. Purring

Okay, Link’s last excursion hadn't gone well, even Link could admit that.  
Well, he would when he woke up. 

Sidon sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the wooden chair by his bedside, where he had been sitting whenever he was able to. Something twisted unpleasantly in his stomach when he looked at his friend's prone figure, looking absolutely tiny in a bed that was built for a species twice his size.  
Despite their species size difference, Sidon had never perceived Link as a small person, he was full of so much life that it was hard to notice his stature, even considered petit amongst other Hylians.  
But now, completely still in a bed that outsized him far too much to be comfortable, he looked delicate and soft. 

Sidon thanked the goddess that he had been patrolling when his friend fell.  
Link had been fighting something or other, who knows what at this point, and had apparently been knocked unconscious and then off of a cliff, and fell towards the lake below.  
Sidon, thinking that his friend would pull out his paraglider at any second waved cheerfully and shouted for Link’s attention, before realizing that something was wrong and swimming as fast as he could (read: pretty fucking fast) to the spot where he thought the Hyrulian would land.  
Thankfully, his calculations were dead on, and he caught him before he could fall into the water and drown. 

Unfortunately, the impact of being caught had broken one of his arms and three of his ribs, and Sidon was riddled with guilt at the idea that he had hurt the little Hylian so badly, that was until one of the healers informed him that if he had hit the water, his body would have broken before he even had the chance to drown.

Sidon sighed, and in a moment of affection, reached out and pet the long hair that sat on Link’s head, marveling at how soft it was. He had never really touched his hair before, only sometimes putting a hand on top of his head, before being informed by an expert on interspecies communication that it may be taken offensively, and then stopping.  
So now he took the opportunity to run his fingers through his hair, amazed at how large his hand looked in comparison to Link’s head. 

The peaceful moment was suddenly broken by a rumbling sound coming from nearby. Sidon jumped to his feet, thinking, against his better judgment, that one of the unnamed monsters that Link had been fighting had made its way into the room without his knowledge, and quickly whipped around to examine the room for attackers.  
There was no one, however, and Sidon took a moment to try to identify the source of the noise.  
Strangely enough, the noise seemed to be coming from the bed, and as Sidon leaned closer to the sleeping man he realized with horror that the rumbling sound was coming from Link’s chest.  
Sidon immediately began to panic, thinking that his lungs had been punctured as his ribs broke and this rumbling was a result of him struggling to breathe.  
Damnit! He didn't know enough about Hylian anatomy to know how to help him, but he loathed the idea of leaving Link alone to get a healer.  
He knelt next to him and put a hand on his head once more, trying to wake him up. The rumbling got louder and Sidon winced and ran to get someone who could handle this situation better than he could. 

When he came back a few minutes later with a concerned looking healer, she immediately went over to his prone figure and pressed a stethoscope against his chest, before taking it away and looking at him quizzically.  
“His breathing is fine, your majesty. Are you sure he was having trouble?”  
Sidon looks concerned, going over to Link and putting his head on his chest. There was the sound of his heartbeat, much louder than a Zora’s, and completely normal sounding breathing.  
After a moment of Sidon lying his head on Link’s chest, however, the rumbling came back, starting quietly and growing in volume.  
Sidon shot up, looking wide-eyed at the healer.  
“There it is again! Listen again!”  
The healer sighed and put the stethoscope to his chest once more. She listened for a moment but drew away with a slight smile.  
“May I ask what you were doing when you first heard the noise, your majesty?” She asked, mirth coloring her tone ever so slightly.  
Sidon felt a bit like a child with their hand in the cookie jar, and he looked to the ground sheepishly.  
“I was petting his head.” He said shamefully. He knew it was patronizing to do, but he was just so relieved that he was okay that he kind of threw manners out the window.  
The healer laughed under her breath, and Sidon looked at her in confusion.  
“He’s perfectly fine. He’s purring. It’s the noise Hylians make when they feel safe and happy.”  
Sidon immediately flushed in surprise and looked towards the sleeping figure on the bed. The healer took his wrist and guided his hand to his chest, and Sidon felt the rumbling grow louder as his hand was placed on his chest.  
“He trusts you.” The healer said with a smile, apparently not realizing the internal conflict that statement had caused Sidon as she walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

000

Night fell and Link had still not woken up, so Sidon stayed in the chair next to him, petting Link’s hair and listening to the noise that came from his chest that meant that Link felt safe around him. It was incredibly validating, for some reason, to know that Link trusted him. 

As the night wore on, Sidon became more and more tired, and eventually, crawled into bed with Link, logical thoughts pushed aside by exhaustion.  
He curled around Link quite easily, encompassing his entire body with only his torso, and smiled as he felt the purring resonate inside his own chest as well. 

When morning came, Sidon was the first to wake up, much to his disappointment. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. Barely even five minutes had gone by before Link lazily opened his eyes and met them with Sidon’s, who was smiling at him.  
Link’s eyes blew wide and he shoved himself off of the bed and onto the ground, getting to his feet and into a fighting stance.  
Sidon put his hands up placatingly, and Link lowered his fists, blushing heavily as he saw who it was in the bed with him. Adrenaline seemed to have worn off, however, because Link suddenly hisses through his teeth in pain and clutches at his ribs.  
This immediately causes Sidon to sit up and help Link back into the bed, and back to lying down.  
“I'm so glad you're awake!” Sidon says happily.  
Link smiles wearily, “I can't say that I am.” He says, voice slightly raspy. “I feel like I got run over by a horse.”  
Sidon winces sympathetically. “You fell off a cliff. I was patrolling and caught you before you hit the water.”  
Link looks surprised at this news, then furrows his eyebrows as he feels his throat.  
“Was I purring?” He asks bewilderedly.  
Sidon nodded. “Yeah, in your sleep. It's good right? A healer told me that it meant you were happy, but you would know more than her I suppose.”  
Link nodded, still looking perplexed. “Yeah, that’s about it. Damn, I can't remember the last time I purred. Literally, I don't think I've purred since I woke up again.” 

Sidon frowns. “But I thought it meant you feel good!”  
Link shrugs. “I live out in the wild, hunting goats and shit. I'm not exactly comfortable and safe all the time.”  
This saddens Sidon, but he tries not to show it on his face. He knows that the task that Link has taken on is an incredibly important one, and he can't ask him to stay with him just because he worries that he might be a little less than comfortable on his journey.  
Sidon puts his hand on Link’s head one last time and is absolutely delighted when Link makes an absolutely adorable ‘Prrrp?’ sound in response.


	2. Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Ikara for the suggestion of this chapter!

"Hylians have a tendency to be fairly hygienic, and can become sick or temperamental when they are unclean."

Sidon heard the sounds of a struggle coming from the guest bedroom that Link was staying in while he healed and immediately was concerned.  
The healers there were great, but with Link didn't exactly cooperate with his injuries to make them heal as quickly, or as painlessly as possible. He had a tendency to strain his wounds, and it was clear to Sidon that his healing bones were troubling him.  
Sidon hesitated for a moment, but knocked on the door, and was met with the noises ceasing quickly, before an exasperated, “Come in…” was heard. 

Sidon opened the door and peered around it, to see a very strange sight. Link looked absolutely miserable, looking like he hadn't been taking care of himself in a way that Hylians were very want to do.  
Besides that, he seemed to be stuck inside of his shirt.  
“Uh… are you okay?” Sidon asked awkwardly.  
“I'm fine!” Link said, voice strained as he wrestled with his shirt, before apparently straining himself too far and letting out a yelp of pain, which immediately sent Sidon to his side, holding his hands out to help, but without really knowing how to.  
“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly.  
Link sighed wearily.  
“It hurts to move my arms too much, and it’s giving me trouble.” He grumbled to no one in particular.  
Sidon hummed sympathetically at his friend’s plight.  
“Do you need me to help?” Sidon asked.  
Link froze, and for a moment Sidon wondered if he had said something wrong. He knew that in Hylians culture it was a taboo to see someone without their clothes, he didn't know if that same rule applied to helping someone get dressed.  
After a few moments, however, Link relaxed and nodded. 

With Sidon’s nervousness quelled, he moved behind Link and gently freed him from where he was tangled in his shirt, careful not to put too much pressure on his ribs or arm with his comparative size and strength.  
Link sighed with relief when he was freed from his shirt, stretching out his shoulders slightly with a small wince.  
“Do you think you can get it on yourself?” Sidon asked, not thinking that he could, but not wanting to presume and offend him with the implication.  
Link bit the inside of his cheek in thought, before shaking his head and raising his arms slightly as a signal for Sidon to put his shirt back on him. Sidon obliged, and gently helped him back into his shirt, thankfully avoiding getting him stuck again. 

When Link was back in his shirt he seemed more comfortable, but still looked different than usual. Less put together.  
“You don't look like you've been taking care of yourself as much.” Sidon voiced, before immediately mentally smacking himself in the face at the extremely rude comment.  
Link looked a little surprised, then frowned, not angrily, thank the goddess, but more thoughtful.  
“Yeah, this injury has been making it hard to wash my hair. I usually am pretty good about that, despite the circumstances.” He said.  
“Let me do it!” Sidon said, before reminding himself to stop being so overbearing once more.  
Link blinked but smiled.  
“Sure. That would be really helpful.” Before Sidon had a chance to feel surprised at Link accepting his help, Link had grabbed his wrist and started dragging him to the bathroom.  
Link sat on the edge of the tub and tossed Sidon a bottle of soap.  
Sidon situated himself inside of the tub per Link’s instruction, before realizing that he had no idea how to wash someone’s hair. Seemingly noticing Sidon’s pause, Link spoke.  
“Do you need me to walk you through it?”  
Sidon nodded, and even though Link’s back was turned, he seemed to have known.  
“First, you wet down my hair.”  
Sidon did as he asked, and used cupped water in his hands to pour it over Link’s hair. The moment the water touched his head, however, he jumped up with a shout.  
“What's wrong?” Sidon asked, slightly panicked that he had hurt Link somehow.  
Apparently, his fears were unfounded, because Link started laughing heartily, before stopping with a gasp and clutching at his ribs. He recovered from the momentary strain and smiled at Sidon.  
“The water should be warm. Hylians are pretty sensitive to temperature.” He said, teasing coloring his tone.  
If Zoras could blush, then Sidon would definitely be flushed with embarrassment right now at his mistake. Link didn't seem to care so much, however, and sat back down at the edge of the tub, his hair now damp with cold water.  
Sidon let the water warm up before cupping it in his hands once more, now pouring it over Link’s head to the sight of his shoulder’s relaxing at the feeling. 

Link instructed him to put the soap in his hands and then rub it into his hair, which Sidon did, and to his delight caused Link to purr quietly again.  
Sidon then washed the soap out with warm water and thought it was over before Link instructed him to run a brush through it to smooth out the tangles so it wouldn't get matted and gross. Sidon did, and though he would always jump and apologize when he hit a snag and made Link inhale sharply, the process moved along smoothly enough and was overall pleasant for both parties. 

Then it seemed like it was done, and Sidon felt proud for helping, even if for a moment he was disappointed that the whole affair was over, before remembering a book he had read about Hylians culture. Much of it he had forgotten, but he did remember that Hylians would decorate their hair by weaving shiny things into it. He didn't know how to wash someone’s hair, but he did know how to weave.  
Sidon pulled a jewel off of a bracelet he was wearing and started doing a basic braiding pattern into Link’s hair, pinning a couple of jewels into it and then twisting the braids up into a style he had seen Hylians don at parties that his family had hosted years prior.  
Link opened his eyes and caught sight of himself in the mirror, and his mouth fell open slightly in what Sidon hoped was pleasant surprise.  
He brought a hand up gently to the side of his head, not trying to mess up the work that Sidon had done, and smiled gently before turning back to look at Sidon.  
“When did you learn how to braid hair?” He asked lightheartedly.  
Once again, if Sidon could blush he would be completely flushed right now, both as a result of how pretty Link looked and at the smile that he had shot at him.  
“Well, I know how to weave, and I figured it couldn't have been that different.”  
Link laughed and punched Sidon in the arm playfully.  
“You sly dog, you've been holding out on me!” 

Link was very careful not to mess up his hair for the rest of the day.


	3. Cold

It would figure that Link wouldn't have a single spicy food item on him when he had gotten himself into this situation.   
He was currently sitting at the bottom of an icy ravine, and shivering heartily, his breathing erratic while Sidon shouted down to him fearfully, instructing him to stay awake, and to keep his eyes open. 

He and Sidon had been traversing the snow, once Link had found out that Sidon had never seen it up close he had insisted on taking him to see it.  
After marveling at the sights of the sheer, snowy cliffs Link ran after a bird to entertain himself. Upon the chase, a thin sheet of ice had broken under Link and sent him plummeting down a ravine. Luckily, Link had the reflexes to open his paraglider in time to avoid dying on impact, but the walls were far too slick and far too steep for Link to climb without aid. 

So that's where they were now. Link could feel his core temperature lowering as the volume of Sidon’s panicked shouts increased. Link’s hearing was starting to buzz, which was certainly not a good thing, but from what he’d heard past the static, Sidon had somehow found a way to get help without leaving the top of the ravine, and they were on their way.   
Link felt a minor tug of hope, but it was quickly chased away by his shivering becoming more intense, his teeth clacking together in a way that Link was sure was audible even to Sidon.   
“How long can a Hylian last in that much cold?” Sidon shouted down to him. Link cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted back.   
“A-another h-h-hour at-at mo-most.” Even Link was unsettled by how much his voice stuttered around his clacking teeth. It appeared that Sidon was also put off by the weakness of his voice, as he appeared more nervous than before, pacing around the edge of the ravine instead of staying in one place. 

Another few minutes passed, or at least Link thought they did. Time was getting harder and harder to track down here. He couldn't see the sun, and everything was starting to feel darker, though he couldn't remember when things started to seem that way. He could still hear Sidon’s voice, but he could not hear what he was saying. He caught a few words here and there, but there was nothing concrete.   
He turned and thought, for a moment that Sidon had found his way down the ravine after all, but it turned out that he had only seen his own red tunic out of the corner of his eye.   
Link felt as if his thoughts were coming to him more slowly, and the sounds he heard were processed by his brain a good twenty seconds after hearing them.   
He was having such a hard time rationalizing that he could only properly understand one thing. If he didn't do something to save himself now, he would die.   
Link decided to try to climb the walls again. 

Of course, he had tried before, he wouldn't have just sat down and let himself freeze without doing anything, but his thoughts were so muddled that he figured it would be a good use of his time to try again.   
So he tried to climb the wall while words of desperate encouragement were shouted at him from above. His fingers scrabbled at the icy walls, and he realized with horror that he couldn't move them. His fingers were completely stiff and blue, likely succumbing to frostbite.   
Link took a deep, steadying breath. He couldn't think about losing fingers and toes right now. He had to focus on staying alive. On staying awake. 

Link stumbled, and toppled onto his side in the snow, and he heard noises of horror from Sidon at the top of the incline that would become his tomb.   
Another few minutes went by of Link lying in the snow, and thankfully, blessedly, Link started to feel warmer.   
The heat started in his core and spread out to his arms and fingers, though he still couldn't move them. There was relief at first, and then the heat grew unbearable. He wanted to shed his clothes to cool down even slightly, but his limbs were far too stiff to even bring them to his torso, let alone undo the clasps that held the fabric in place.   
Link let out a high, pained whine, and heard a panicked shout from above before noticing that the edge of his vision was darkening.   
Link wanted to give into sleep, if only to escape the incredible, mounting pain he was suffering from, but suddenly, something warm touches his face, and it was a different kind of warm than the burning, sweltering heat that encased him. It was a pleasant, familiar warm, one that comes with the touch of someone you love. 

With what little energy Link has left, he leans into the touch, and hears the person, who he thinks might be Sidon, make a pained noise as he was hoisted up by a different person. He heard the one with a hand pressed to his face tell him to keep his eyes open, and Link did want to comply, but he ended up being unconscious before he even realized that he had shut them. 

000

It had to be one of the most horrifying things that Sidon had ever witnessed, a Hylian freezing to death.   
Sure Zoras froze. Once water reached freezing they got sluggish and shivery, but it would take a day or two of being in the extreme cold for it to kill them. Link had only been in the ravine for an hour and he was already near death.   
Sidon didn't know about this particular difference, and regrets not rushing the help along more quickly. He had thought that Link would last longer than that. He had been careless, and now he was carrying Link’s unconscious form back to the domain as quickly as he could.   
He was frighteningly cold. Hylians were extremely warm blooded, and were far warmer than Zoras. Sidon often took pleasure in being overly touchy with Link on the grounds that he was far warmer than him, often teasing him by putting a cold hand on his neck and making Link jump and swat him away, before mock-glaring at him. 

Now though, those jokes didn't seem funny. Link was cold and unsettlingly stiff, and his skin was tinged with far more blue, rather than the red he was used to from the young Hylian, though the healer that was running alongside them assured Sidon that he was still alive.   
After what seemed like hours of running, they arrived back at the domain and the healer got to work warming up Link, calling in another group of healers to help her.   
Sidon was sent out of the room to avoid getting in the way, and Sidon did as he was told without much argument. If they thought him leaving would help Link, then he would do it. Hell, he would go for a hike in the desert if it meant that Link would be okay. 

Another hour went past without any update, and Sidon had practically chewed his claws down to the wick in his anxiousness.   
One of the healers walked out, looking tired, but pleased.   
“He’s going to be fine. He just needs to rest. You can go in and lie with him if you want, body heat will help move the process along.   
Sidon rushed into the room with a muttered thank-you to the healer who had given him the news and immediately took stock of Link’s condition.   
He looked much better. His skin was flushed pink instead of blue, so that was definitely a plus, but when Sidon put a hand on his cheek, it was colder than his own skin, which was bad because that meant that his temperature was lower even than Sidon’s own, and as a cold blooded person, this could mean nothing good for the smaller Hylian. 

With the exhaustion that terror brings, Sidon soon fell asleep next to Link.

000

When Link woke, he was warm. Not burningly so, like he had felt before, but pleasant, not overbearing thanks to a cooler body wrapped around his own.   
Link turned over in the bed to see Sidon sleeping next to him. Well, it was more like he was curled around him, but nonetheless.   
Link didn't think that he had ever seen Sidon sleeping before, at least not this close to him. He felt Sidons breath sweep across his face, thankfully he was breathing through his nose, so Link was spared the morning breath.   
Link, despite himself, tucked his head into the crook of Sidon’s neck and sighed with bliss. 

 

He was warm.


	4. Feral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allow me to preface this by saying this is NOT meant to be fetishistc!! If youre into stuff like this, then feel free to enjoy it that way but please dont leave any gross comments!! Ty!!  
> Scene with light chasing requested by Master_Torch_Master!  
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> This ran a little long so there will be a part 2!

Sidon should have figured that something was wrong when he saw the strange light in the traveler’s eyes.  
They had seen a young man being attacked and Link rushed in to help, of course. Upon defeating the creature, the traveler thanked Link before smiling darkly.  
Sidon rushed forward as the traveler pushed Link onto the ground and held his arms behind his back. The traveler puffed up into smoke, revealing his true form as a Yiga, and brought down a dagger between Link’s shoulder blades.  
A cry of anguish was torn from Link’s throat and Sidon tackles the creature off of his back and makes quick work of it with a sword through the stomach.  
Sidon turns back to Link with a small smile. The wound hadn't looked bad, and Sidon was sure that it would heal in a matter of days.  
Link still hasn't stood up, which Sidon immediately finds concerning. He’s seen Link stand back up after a swipe from a beast that left his ribs exposed. It was… frankly disgusting. He still won the fight.

Link does not seem to notice or care how out of character he is being, because he remains completely limp as Sidon positions him properly to check his vitals. They’re all fine, if not a bit fast, and Link’s eyes are open, and looking at Sidon, though they don't seem to recognize him. Sidon starts to feel worry seep into his core. Yiga were intelligent, weren't they? They would know the weak points of the person they were trying to kill. Maybe the Yiga that did this hit some sort of weak point in Hylians that paralyzed Link.  
Sidon couldn't work himself into a proper panic just yet, however, as Link sat up in his arms, and before Sidon could ask if he was okay, bared his teeth and leaped towards Sidon’s throat with clear intent to kill.  
Sidon lunged backward in surprise, and let go of Link, who immediately took a strange posture that Sidon recognized as an attempt to make himself look bigger, and more intimidating, puffing out his chest and raising his shoulders to protect the sides of his neck, which Link had confided was an extremely weak spot on a Hylian.  
Sidon did not move forward, instead standing still with shock at his friend's behavior.  
Link didn't attack again, and instead was slowly circling, an attempt to escape hidden by a false attack, Sidon realized.  
Sidon immediately cursed himself for killing the Yiga before being able to ask what it did to Link, and how to reverse it. 

Link lunged for the forest that sat nearby, but Sidon was faster, and caught him around the middle, careful not to hurt him with his claws.  
Sidon was suddenly very glad that Link had taught him about Hylian weak points in case he ever needed to defend himself from one. He had also told him how to restrain a person without hurting them.  
Sidon carefully held Link’s wrists together behind his back and lifted Link’s feet off the ground while he kicked furiously at Sidon’s torso, causing the Zora to flinch slightly.  
Sidon wracked his brain to remember how to knock out a Hylian without giving them a concussion.  
Oh! It was a firm hit to the base of their ears! Hylian ears are very sensitive and hitting them just right causes a sensory overload that will either stun them or knock them unconscious. 

While Sidon was trying to recall what he knew about Hylian anatomy, Link was attempting to bite at him, though Sidon hadn't felt it through his armored scales.  
Sidon let go of his wrists with one hand, and brought a hand up to the base of his friend’s ear, careful not to hit in the wrong place and cause him any more pain. Sidon brought his hand down in a firm chopping motion, and to his mild surprise, Link slumped down in his grip immediately. 

Nervously, Sidon checked his breathing, making sure he hadn't done more damage than he had meant to, but it was fine. His deep breaths indicated that he was sleeping, and Sidon immediately started heading back to the Zora Domain to figure out how to reverse whatever that Yiga had done to his friend.

000

After a long walk, one scuffle as Link woke up and attempted to claw at his face, they arrived back at the Domain. Sidon was jumpy and worried about his friend, so he quickly walked into the maze of blue pathways and ankle deep water and to the throne room in the back. 

000

Once the situation was explained, an expert on other species was brought in and took Link to a holding cell so he wouldn't hurt himself or someone else.  
Sidon had a couple of errands to run, but he ended up finding himself with a fist raised, ready to knock on the door of where Link was staying.  
He steeled himself, not quite ready to see his friend in such a state, and opened the door, in his nervousness forgetting to knock.  
In the room, Link was not chained to a table or anything like he feared, instead he had cloaked himself in a thick comforter and was peeking out suspiciously at the expert, whose name Sidon thinks might be Dane, who was handing him a plate of food. 

Dane set the plate of food down on the table next to the bed and backed up. Link did not come out of the blanket that he was wrapped in, but instead pulled the food over to him and ate it quickly, licking his lips in an uncomfortably animalistic way.  
He stared at Dane with wide, blue eyes expectantly. Dane smiled slightly and handed Link a glass of water.  
Link gulped it down and dropped the cup onto the bed before catching sight of Sidon, seemingly too distracted by his meal to have noticed him before.  
He immediately jumped and started looking for an escape, and when he couldn't find one, ducked under the covers completely, staying still and peeking one wide eye at Sidon suspiciously.  
Dane looked at him with mild exasperation.  
“I suppose I should have figured that you would come here, your majesty. Here, give me your hand.” 

Sidon, although confused, complied and extended his hand to the expert. Dane took it by the wrist and dragged Sidon over to where Link was staring at him.  
Dane then instructed Sidon to hold his hand out to the Hylian, emphasizing the importance of moving slowly. It would be harder to regain Link’s trust due to the fact that Sidon was the one who originally restrained and brought him here. The idea of his closest friend not trusting him did not sit well with Sidon, and something cold twisted uncomfortably in his gut.  
Sidon stretched out his fingers to Link, and after a few long moments, Link grabbed his hand with both of his, stretching out his fingers and bending them curiously.  
When it seemed that Link was satisfied with examining his fingers, he stared up at him and with an almost humorously intense look, placed Sidon’s hand on top of his head. 

Sidon started gently carding his claws through his friend’s hair almost instinctively, and there was an almost immediate soft purr coming from Link’s chest.  
Dane seemed genuinely surprised.  
“Wow. I guess I was wrong, he must still have some residual memory, even if whatever that Yiga did to him reverted him to instinct above thought. It took me like an hour before he would even let me get within a foot of him.”  
Sidon was still focused on his friend, but he turned to Dane, not taking his hand off of Link’s head.  
“Is that what happened to him?”  
Dane nodded somberly.  
“Yes, its a rather recent invention by them, but they've used it before. Never on a Hylian before though. It seems that they neglected to do any proper test runs before trying it out on their targets.”  
Sidon tensed his jaw nervously.  
“Is there a way to reverse it?”  
Dane furrowed his brow, which Sidon did not take as a good sign.  
“Every other species that they've used it on has healed with time, but it was different lengths for every species, and since there is no record of it being used on a Hylian, we don't know how long it will last.”  
If Sidon could have paled, he would have.  
“So what does that mean? How long does it usually last for other species? Like, years?”  
In his distress, he had taken his hand off of Link’s head, and Link instantly grabbed his hand again and placed it back on with a small ‘prrrp?’ noise that at any other time, Sidon would have absolutely swooned over.

Dane waved his hands frantically, trying to soothe the prince’s worries.  
“No, no! Not that long! The longest it lasted for anyone was about two weeks! It might be even shorter for a Hylian!”  
Sidon took a deep breath to calm himself, and stood up, to the slight grumbling of Link below him.  
Dane tried to suppress a yawn, hiding it behind his hand from the prince in a clear attempt to avoid being sent away. It did not go unnoticed by Sidon, however, and he quickly shut down any arguments from Dane by playing the prince card. 

So now Sidon was alone with Link. Well… what was left of Link.  
He knew that there was no reason to stay here. There were guards positioned outside the room and it would be easier for both of them to sleep if he left. The logical part of his brain knew this, but he still couldn't bring himself to leave Link alone while he was in this state.  
Link was still sitting on the bed, clearly tired if the weariness of his face was any indication, but unwilling to relax while the prince was still standing so close to him.  
Sidon realized, slightly sheepishly, how much he towered over the hero. He didn't think about it much, he was tall, even for his species, but he was typically only a head taller than most of the other citizens. He knew that the opposite was true for Link, he was considered very small for his age (not including the hundred years), and species. Standing at full height, Link stood to about his waist on a good day. Surely when your mind was more overrun by flight or fight than anything else, a person twice your height would be intimidating. 

Sidon, with all these thoughts at the forefront of his mind, pulled a spare blanket out of the closet and folded it into a pillow before laying down on the floor to sleep.  
He wasn't complaining, it was fairly cold, and it was far more comfortable (not to mention healthier) to sleep in a pool of water, but he had slept in places that would give him a worse crick in his neck.  
He lay on the ground for a good five minutes, back to Link, before anything else happened.  
Sidon heard the noise of light footsteps that any Zora was too large to make, and the comforter that Link had been hiding under was thrown on top of him, still warm from the Hylian’s plethora of body heat.  
Sidon turned to look at Link in surprise and saw that he was staring at him with the blank, intense expression that he had been wearing since he had been stabbed.  
Sidon, almost without realizing he was doing it, lifted up an arm in an invitation for Link to come under the blanket with him.  
As Zora did not typically use blankets, this gesture was one that he had become familiar with upon meeting Link. According to him, if the situation was good and there was more than one bed, it was rare for more than one person to sleep in a bed unless they had known each other for a very long time.  
Sidon didn't know how long Link considered a ‘very long time’ as Hylians aged differently than Zora, but he had laid in bed with Link before, though he had been on top of the covers, which somehow felt less intimate.  
Link didn't seem to be dwelling on these same thoughts, however, as the moment that Sidon raised his arm he shot under the covers and against Sidon’s side. Sidon jumped a little at the quick reaction, but quickly relaxed against the warm body. 

Another few minutes of silence went by, and Sidon was almost drifting off to sleep when he heard Link humming quietly. It was familiar, something that Link had sung before, and Sidon smiled as Link hummed both himself and Sidon to sleep. 

000

The next morning, Sidon awoke, remembering the events of the previous day almost immediately, and almost as quickly realizing that there was no one else under the covers with him. Sidon sat up frantcally, every worst-case scenario ran through his head.  
He had escaped through a window and had been killed by monsters.  
He had left during the guard's break and had disappeared into the mountains forever.  
He… he was stalking a light on the wall.

Sidon sat up and rubbed at his eyes. The moment he did, the light moved, and so did Link, lunging for the wall and slamming his hand on top of it. Looking incredibly indignant when he looked under his hand and found nothing there.  
Sidon blinked slowly at the odd display and shifted to lay back down on his elbows. When he moved, the light, once again, moved with him, and Link’s ears shot up straight, which Sidon had never seen happen before, and would definitely get Link to move his ears around when this was all over.  
As Link pursued the light, Sidon realized the source of it, a reflection of the morning sun off of his silver jewelry. Sidon chuckled and unclasped it, setting the necklace off to the side so that Link didn't ram himself into a wall after the beam or something. 

Someone, presumably Dane, knocked on the door at that moment, and Link’s ears stood straight up in attention once again, and Sidon bit his lip to hide his amusement.  
Sidon called for him to come in, and he did, holding two plates of food, one of fish, and one of fried egg and rice, which Sidon knew that Link was fond of.  
Dane gave him a stern look when he saw that he was still halfway under the blanket.  
“Did you spend the night in here?” He asked, setting the food down on the small table in the room. When his hands were free his crossed his arms in a clearly uncomfortable attempt at authority.  
Sidon looked at the ground sheepishly and brought a hand up to the back of his neck as Link dug into his food.  
“Maybe?”  
Dane groaned and rolled his eyes. 

000

Over the course of the next half-hour, Dane and Sidon discussed what they were going to do while they waited for whatever poison that the dagger had been laced with to run its course.  
It was decided that they couldn't leave him in this room the whole time. Link was notorious for his cabin fever, and trying to keep him in one place was a battle not easily won, and that was even when he was in the right of mind.  
No, keeping him in one place would never work, and would quite likely only make the situation worse for everyone involved. 

A workaround was difficult to come to, Sidon insisted that he would be able to keep an eye on Link, and Dane reluctantly agreed, and they eventually came up with a plan.  
Link would stay with Sidon for however long it took for him to go back to normal. Sidon had to keep a close eye on him, and if he ever had any trouble he needed to go to Dane for help, but other than that, Sidon was loaded with the responsibility of looking after Link until he could once again look after himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is going to be a collection of oneshots involving cultural/physical differences between species! If you have a suggestion for a chapter,or just want to tell me what you thought, feel free to leave a comment! :3
> 
> (PLEASE NOTE: I wont write anything sexual for this, I'm both a minor and a lesbian so I dont think writing about interspecies gay fish sex would really be my jam. Ty!)


End file.
